Charlize Theron Critized for Comparing Privacy Invasion to Rape

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Charlize Theron has caused uproar over her recent tweet. She has compared privacy invasion to rape.

The South African native-born, Charlize Theron caused pandemonium in the media world by saying that the meddling by others in her private life felt to her like she was being physically assaulted and sexually abused.

These remarks by her were taken very negatively by those individuals and organizations that help out rape victims. Since Charlize Theron has been an activist who has supported rape victims in their fight against the heinous crime in the past, she has been accused of extreme hypocrisy and double standards.

Her latest film “A Million Ways to Die in the West” is being promoted by the blonde and beautiful actress nowadays. When she was asked on Sky News if she ever engaged in ego-surfing or Googled herself, she answered matter-of-factly that it was like being raped so she never did such a thing.

Theron said: ‘I don’t do that, so that’s my saving grace. When you start living in that world, and doing that, you start, I guess, feeling raped.’

That of course sparked off a lot of controversial consequences. The actress was further questioned by media journalists regarding her attitude to intrusion by the outer world into her private life. She said that maybe it was just her but that was the way it was.

When it came to her privacy some things were sacrosanct and that included her son who she loved more than anyone else in the world.

Miss Theron said: ‘Well, you know when it comes to your son and your private life. Maybe that’s just me. Some people might relish all that stuff but there are certain things in my life that I think of as very sacred and I am very protective over them.’

The rape survival centers however were aflame with anger and indignation at her insensitive words. They posted messages to the effect that the only thing that could be compared with rape was rape itself. And it was the worst and most tragic experience that any self-respecting woman could undergo.

Karen Ingala Smith, chief executive of victim support charity Nia, which runs the East London Rape Crisis Service, said: ‘There’s one thing that’s like rape and that’s rape. It weakens what we understand as rape when we use that word inappropriately. It cheapens the aftermath of rape and it cheapens [victims’] suffering.

‘If Charlize Theron spent an afternoon listening to a rape crisis helpline she would understand very quickly that unwanted press attention is very different.’

Katie Russell from Rape Crisis England and Wales said: ‘It is always disappointing when someone high profile uses that language and turns sexual violence into a metaphor for something else. It is never appropriate and it trivialises the experience of sexual violence. It’s particularly disappointing in this case because Charlize Theron has campaigned against sexual violence before.’

Charlize has also been accused of drumming up publicity for herself and the movie she has recently appeared in by quoting private incidents from her life.

She has thus been labeled doubly a hypocrite and a fraud. Her big mouth seems to have let loose such drivel this time around that it has made a mockery of such a serious and sad act as statutory rape.